People send money as gifts for certain occasions, such as birthdays, graduations, holidays, sometimes even “for no particular reason”. When you receive a monetary gift, you should write a thank you message to express your gratitude for their concern. Depending on who the sender is, your message can be more formal or a little less formal. There are some rules of etiquette for writing thank you messages.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Settings
Step 1. Buy a thank you card
If you don't have a stash of thank you cards, buy a pack. There are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Choose a pack that fits your personality or fits the occasion. For example, if you're thanking the money for a funeral, don't choose a brightly colored card. These cheerful cards are perfect for thanking someone for the money they gave them for a graduation or birthday.
- Buy a pack large enough to send as many thank you messages as you need. Thank you cards are usually sold in batches of 8-20 cards, but you can also look for packs of 20 and 50 cards.
- Pay attention to whether the thank you card has a message typed in it or not. Most of these card packs are empty on the inside, so be sure to check the card pack you buy. You can choose an existing message or an empty one.
Step 2. Gather the tools you will need to write a thank you message
You'll only need a few things, but gathering them in advance will help keep you from stopping and starting over while you're writing a thank you message.
- Thank you cards and envelopes
- Pen
- Address book
- Stamps
- Carnival label
Step 3. Make sure you have the recipient's address
If you look in your address book and find that you don't have the recipient's address, find a way to find it.
- Contact the recipient and ask for the address
- Contact a family member or friend who knows
- Look in other address books or documents to try to find it
Step 4. Find a comfortable place in your home to write a thank you message
You might only write one thank you message, or maybe several if more than one person gave the gift of money. Find a space in your home that feels comfortable. Sit in it and write a thank you note.
Part 2 of 2: Writing a Thank You Message
Step 1. Sit down in your chosen writing space
Make sure that you are comfortable and have everything you need to write your message.
Step 2. Open your thank you card and write the date on it
The date is written on the card in the top corner of your right hand. You can write the date in several different formats:
- January 1, 2015
- January 1 2015
- 1/1/15
- 01/01/15
- 1/1/2015
- 2015-01-01
Step 3. Write the greeting just below the date but on the side of your left hand
Move your hand slightly down from where you wrote the date, then move it to the left side. The official level of the language will depend on who your recipient is; friends or family members can be written with a more informal greeting, while for bosses, donors, or other important people will require more formal language.
- "Ytk. Susie,"
- "Ytk. Mr. Richard,"
- "Ytk. Mr and Mrs Thomas,"
- "Hi Jonathan,"
- "Hey Michelle!"
- "Hello Mrs. Smith,"
Step 4. Begin your first sentence under the greeting
After you've written your greeting, move your hand down again and insert it about an inch (2.54 cm) from the left side. This is where you start the first sentence of your message.
Be careful about the size of your handwriting. Unless you're writing in a fairly small size, most thank you cards will only fit in about 3-5 sentences, not including the date, greeting, and closing
Step 5. Write your thank you message
When you thank someone for giving you money, it's also important to thank them for their generosity and/or concern, explain how you will use or save the money, and will continue your connection with the recipient.
- “Thank you for the money you gave me for graduation day. I am so grateful you made an investment in my future. I will put this money into my savings account to cover university expenses. I'll be home for Thanksgiving, so I hope to see you then."
- “I want to thank you for sending me money for Christmas. It was very generous, and it really surprised me. I plan to use this money to buy the dress I really want. Thanks for giving me a way to buy more gifts! I hope we can be together on New Year's Day."
- “There are not enough words to express how grateful I am for the money you sent. I've been on tight confinement for a while, and the money you sent me unexpectedly helped a lot to cover some of the expenses I have right now. I am so grateful to have someone like you in my life. I'm planning to have a small dinner party in the next few weeks, and I'd be very happy if you could attend."
- “We would like to send our most sincere thanks for the money you gave us as a wedding gift. We're saving to buy our house first, so we'll be contributing this money to our savings. Thank you for helping us one step closer to our goal! We'll let you know when we reach it."
Step 6. Close your message with a closing sentence
When you have finished writing your message, move your hand slightly to the bottom of the card. This is where you will write your closing sentence. Again, your closing sentence depends on how much you need to be formal or informal
- "Greetings, Nathan"
- “Respectfully, Andrew Yassir”
- "Your friend, Bobby"
- “Greetings, Christian”
- "See you later, Ryan"
- "Thank you again, Lily"
Step 7. Close the card and put it in the envelope
Then, seal the envelope cover. You can lick it or you can use a damp sponge or envelope humidifier.
Step 8. Write down your recipient's address
On the front of your envelope, write the recipient's address in neat handwriting. It is important to write down the full address, including the postal code.
If your message is intended for more than one person, be sure to write it as “Mr. and Mrs. Thomas," for example. Another option is “Dr. and Mrs.,” “Dr. and Dr.,” “Rev. and Mrs.," and "The Thomas Family."
Step 9. Paste your address label and stamp
Your address label should be affixed to the top end of your left hand from the front of the envelope. At the top end of the side of your right hand is a place to attach the stamps.
Step 10. Send your thank you message through the post office
It is important to send your thank you message through the post office in a timely manner. Etiquette usually states that you have a maximum of two weeks to send your thank you note for most events.
Marriage has slightly different rules. If you receive the gift before the wedding day, the 2 week rule still applies. However, if you receive a gift on the wedding day or after the wedding day, etiquette allows for up to a month after you return from your honeymoon
Tips
- Write your message in the neatest handwriting. It will take you longer to slowly write this message, but make sure the recipient can read your handwriting.
- Write from your heart. Your message should be sincere, and continue if you say they will receive a follow-up message or a final update.
